Medical examiner weighs in on "spontaneous human combustion" death

UPDATED 1:21 PM CDT Sep 10, 2013

SEQUOYAH COUNTY, Okla. -

A report from the Medical Examiner's Office said Danny Ray Vanzandt died of a heart attack before his body was burned in a fire, in a case the county sheriff believed could have been "spontaneous human combustion."

Vanzandt, 65, was found dead in his Muldrow home on February 18, 2013. His body was burned and there was no fire damage to the home away from his body, according to the examiner's office.

Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart said he has never seen a case like this, “it’s kind of a unusual fire scene. I’ve worked many fire scenes, but I’ve never seen anything like this that’s why we’re calling it suspicious right now.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the examiner's office released its report. It said the exact ignition source of the fire was not known. It said Vanzandt was a smoker and had ethanol in his system.

"The necessary fuel source for the fire could be one of several, including the decendent's clothing which was reportedly oily from being unchanged for an extended period of time (months), butane from a broken lighter found in the living area of the house, alcohol from several liquor bottles within the kitchen, the decendent's body fat or a combination of these," according to the report.